The following post is a lightly edited transcript from a Zoom call between Dave the Wine Merchant and his customer, Kim Stewart. It took place on Sunday, November 21st, 2021, just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Dave: Hi this is Dave The Wine Merchant, and I’m coming to you today with a question from Kim Stewart, a customer with a question many of you may be asking about this time of year….
Kim: Hi, Dave! I’m having a potluck for Thanksgiving this year. I’m cooking the turkey but all the sides are coming from other guests. I'm not sure what wine to serve because I'm not exactly sure what is showing up! Of course we’ll have the traditional dishes, ‘you bring the potatoes’, and ‘you bring this…’, but usually, some lovely surprises show up, too. So, what can I do to make sure everyone is satisfied at the table with just the right wine?
Dave: That’s a great question! It's appropriate for Thanksgiving or Christmas or weddings or any type of group gathering where you have a ton of people coming over. And, here’s my key wine-buying tip, RELAX - IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER because the focus is not on the wine! The focus is on friends and family and lots of noise and music in the background and football on TV and people crammed into the kitchen. Most of us have some version of an Uncle Fred and an Aunt Matilda who swear by that cheap wine from Trader Joe’s. That’s fine - have them bring it!
Kim: Oh wait a minute, hey Dave, what if the focus needs to be on the wine because I want it to compliment my cooking?
Dave: [Laughs] You know, I was just getting to that part!
So, you have Uncle Fred and Aunt Matilda and their favorite cheap wine. And then you have you and maybe a small group of people who really appreciate, and want to focus on, the food and the wine. So I suggest you have mass appeal wines and also some special wines.
Many people who prefer mass appeal wines won’t appreciate or even enjoy your pricier wines. This is because "mass appeal" wines are manufactured to be broader and sweeter in their aroma/flavor profile, something that easily appeals to an American palate formed by Coke and Frappucinos and that prefers sweet beverages. To summarize, I would focus on two categories of wines, one for these casual wine drinkers, one for those with palates that enjoy the unique offerings of more complex, hand-crafted wines.
That said, here are a couple of things you can do to successfully pair wines with the broad range of unknown possibilities in your Thanksgiving potluck! Many wines will do a great job, honestly. But let’s narrow the consideration set to just a few:
- Pinot Noir is always ideal for just about any food - it's one of THE most food-friendly wines.
- Champagne or Sparkling Wine is also a great choice as it has nice, bright acidity that really brightens food flavors, just as does my third suggestion (and you’re going to be surprised because many people don’t think they like this wine!)...
- Riesling! Try a dry Riesling this Thanksgiving, and you’ll be surprised by its synergy with most of the possible contributions to your Friendsgiving potluck!
The big challenge with pairing wines with the traditional Thanksgiving meal is that it has a very bland base. Turkey doesn't have a lot of flavor by itself. But add gravy and salt and Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes (sometimes even with marshmallows on top!) and all of a sudden you have a huge melange of flavors! How do you pair wine with that??
No single wine will work perfectly! So, have fun and mix and match a bit - there’s nothing wrong with having a glass of white and a glass of red at your table setting so you can better match the wine with whatever dish you're eating.
Kim: That’s a great game plan! I really love that information and I'm excited to know about dry Riesling because I think of that wine as being on the sweeter side. Now that I know about dry Reisling, I can't wait to try that. And I can't wait to share this information with my crowd. Thank you for empowering me with such great information, Dave!
Dave: Kim, one last thought before we go. I’ll leave you with one other idea for pairing wine with Thanksgiving desserts!
Most people say they don't like sweet wines, and particularly dessert wines. However, there are some wonderful dessert wines that beautifully enhance the flavors of classic apple pie and pumpkin pie and pecan pie - the triumvirate of Thanksgiving desserts. I encourage anyone to try these sweet dessert wines this year! You can find them in any good wine shop.
Kim: And the general rule with pairing a sweet wine with a sweet dessert is the wine should be sweeter than the food? How do you do that?
Dave: Exactly, you want wine that is sweeter than the dessert otherwise the food overpowers the wine and leaves it flat on your palate. So yes, focus on that. And one final piece of advice, Kim, never hesitate to ask your wine merchant for help. That’s what we’re here for!
Kim: Absolutely and that‘s why I'm so glad that you wanted to take my call today Dave! I can't wait to be the expert around my own table. I read your blog, I love everything about your website (and congratulations on your new site, by the way) and I'm going to share this information with everybody I know!
Dave: You’re welcome, Kim, this was fun!